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Carp Fishing with Accommodation at it's BestOct 2016 by Paul Cooper

I was sitting on my syndicate lake taking in the surroundings when I had an unexpected phone call from Dave Keep, MD of Angling Lines. I was aware that he was only weeks away for yet another trip to one of his favourite venues, Vaux. This call however, would give my wife and I the opportunity to take his place at the venue. Just a few obstacles of my own to iron out and I would be on my way.

This 3 acre lake holds some magnificent fish to just over 60lb so my expectations were high to say the least. We were to be joined by Mike Linstead who would be putting a film together for a new venue video. Di and myself would be spending the week in the gite and Mike chose to spend all of his time at the lake fishing and filming.

Vaux

On our arrival at the lake we were met by Chas and Josie who gave us all a warm welcome. While Josie was showing Di around the gite, Chas gave Mike and myself a detailed tour of his lake. Fully briefed on fishing tactics and locations Chas left us to our own devices. We were aware that a huge thunderstorm had passed through the area on Thursday, this had dropped the water temperature by 8 degrees which could possibly put the fish off the feed. We were to find out how true this was to be.

The Accommodation

Let me start with star of the show, the gite. The kitchen is fully equipped with everything you would need to prepare a meal and to dine in comfort. The cooker has 4 halogen rings and an electric oven. The other appliances are a dishwasher, washing machine, 2 refrigerators and a freezer, micro-wave, electric kettle, and a really useful item, a slow cooker which we took full advantage of.

There is a large dining table and chairs and the cupboards are full of pots, pans, plates, dishes cups, glasses, utensils etc. Home from home. The living room has 2 leather settees and chairs, and the television has all the main channels on freesat. It also has the basic sky channels and allows you to use your own sky card. There is an internet router which gives full internet coverage in the gite and by the lake.

The accommodation viewed from the swims

Also on the ground floor there is a fully tiled wet room with a shower with a disability chair, toilet and sink.

Moving to the upstairs there are 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. Bedroom one has a double bed, bedroom two has 2 single beds, and bedroom three has 2 double beds and 2 single beds, So there is room to sleep 10 persons comfortably. The large bathroom has a walk in shower, bath, toilet and sink.

Just off the dam wall there is an old barn with bait freezers.

The Lake

The beautiful lake of Vaux sits only yards from the Gite. The well spaced swims are mostly set on the far bank from the gite and they, along with the paths, are made of a hard sandy material which is kept meticulously clean by Chas. You may need a mallet to get the pegs in the ground so be prepared and I recommend pods rather than bank sticks. On each swim Chas has provided weighing tripods and you have the opportunity to use his carp cradles, slings and nets for a small fee.

The Shallows

It is typical of a French lake, shallow at one end being fed by a stream, gradually dropping in depth at the dam end of the lake where the water flows down the monk. Furthest away from the gite is the shallow end with deep silt, but a lot of fish do hold up in this area with some big catches to be had. The previous weeks anglers landed a lot of carp out of these shallows, with fish up to 56lb.

As you move down the lake, the water deepens as it reaches the dam where it is over 3 meters in depth. The middle of the lake has a covering of silt which can be deep in places but this does not effect the carp feeding in this area, in fact the only carp that were caught the during our fishing week came from the centre of the lake in silt.

Lovely scaley 26lb carp

Over on the far margins there is an area of gravel/rock that extends out for a few yards from the bank. According to Chas, this is the main feeding area of the lake that anglers pick up the carp. There are some overhanging trees that make it difficult to cast too, but this can be made easier by the use of a baitboat. Vaux can be a moody water as we found, with over 30 carp caught the week prior to our arrival, the fishing was always going to be hard. Despite this we still managed to winkle out a few carp to 39lb.

32lb 8oz picked up on a bottom bait from the middle of the lake

The whole experience was an enjoyable one and it was a very relaxing break. Each morning, Di took a short walk into the local village to pick up fresh croissants and baguettes from the local bread shop. The main supermarket is only a few miles away so picking up provisions was no trouble at all.

Chas and Josie

I will go on to talk about the owners of Vaux who are lovely people. Josie made the odd appearance to visit Di and even took her out for a day in mid-week to show her around one of the local towns , along with a visit to a chateau. She cares diligently for the Gite and ensures that all her customers enter a clean and well equipped holiday home. Chas on the other hand loves his lake and his carp and takes extra care to ensure that they are cared for. What Chas does not know about his lake is not worth talking about. He has a vast knowledge of fishing tactics and feeding locations in Vaux which can prove invaluable especially if an angler is struggling.

Chas on his daily clean up

Conclusion

When the weather is right and the fish are feeding Vaux can produce some massive hits which include many big carp. While I was at the lake I saw a lot of huge fish which I would have loved to have put on the bank. Chas has a stocking policy which ensures that any fish lost during a season, are replaced with similar sized fish. The lake appears to be rich in natural life which along with Chas’s Winter feeding policy, and anglers bait, ensures that his fish keep piling on the weight. I am sure that this venue will continue for many years as a big fish water with excellent accommodation. Top venue.